featuring in Arsenal’s high-stakes clash against Manchester City later this month, following what appears to be a minor injury sustained during the Liverpool match.
The centre-back was substituted just five minutes into last Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Anfield after twisting his ankle during the pre-match warm-up.
Despite trying to continue, Saliba was eventually replaced by Cristhian Mosquera. Manager Mikel Arteta later expressed concern over the defender’s condition.
As a result, Saliba was pulled from France’s squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Ukraine and Iceland.
The French Football Federation confirmed that he had suffered an ankle sprain, prompting the call-up of Benjamin Pavard as his replacement.
Arsenal’s early season has been marred by a string of injuries. Bukayo Saka is currently recovering from a hamstring issue, while Kai Havertz has undergone surgery, though he’s expected to return in the near future.
With crucial fixtures looming against Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, and Newcastle United, Saliba’s recovery is a major concern for the Gunners.
However, Stephen Smith CEO of Kitman Labs, a company that works with Premier League clubs on injury management and performance, has offered a hopeful outlook for fans, suggesting that Saliba’s condition may not be as serious as initially feared.
‘Everybody at Arsenal will be wiping their brow on that one because of his importance to the team,’ Smith told Metro.
‘It appeared innocuous. Not to say there aren’t challenges with a ligament sprain but if it were something like a hamstring injury it would be something they would have to be even more careful with.
‘With this, they will be able to get that right quite quickly, I would have thought. They will be able to protect it and strap it up if needed and be able to get back out there relatively quickly.
‘It didn’t appear to be a significant sprain, we would expect to see him back out there within two to three weeks.’
Smith’s timeline for return suggests Saliba will be back in contention for their visit of City on 21 September.
Arsenal return to action after the international break against Nottingham Forest next Saturday with there a possibility he could even return in time for that match at the Emirates.
‘That one might be really close but they will be pushing him to try and get there,’ Smith continued.
‘It depends on how much swelling was there, how much pain he was in the day after. If swelling was minimal and pain was relatively innocuous that will give him a huge chance.’
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